The Secret to Success: Always Bring Value to the Table
What does it truly mean to bring value to medical device sales?
In part two of our three-part series, The Girls of Grit dive into Patricia Choquette’s next essential principle for success: Bringing Value. They discuss what it takes to become the rep clients trust and return to time after time.
This episode explores how intentionality and preparation lay the groundwork for delivering genuine value. Active listening isn’t just hearing—it’s understanding clients’ needs, identifying their challenges, and presenting meaningful solutions.
They also reveal why coming prepared and focused strengthens credibility and builds trust—the foundation of lasting client loyalty.
Tune in to learn practical steps for delivering exceptional value in every client interaction and discover how to elevate your reputation in this competitive field.
Episode Chapter Markers
00:00 Introduction
01:42 Bringing Value
02:54 Understanding Customer Value
04:49 Intentional Purpose in Sales
08:23 Building Trust and Dependability
15:44 The Importance of Availability
22:52 Conclusion
Must-Hear Insights and Key Moments
Preparation Sets You Apart: They emphasize that being fully prepared with product knowledge and a deep understanding of clients’ needs builds trust and credibility.
Intentionality in Every Interaction: Bringing value means each conversation and meeting is purposeful. Knowing exactly what to discuss and addressing client needs creates impactful connections.
Active Listening Beyond Hearing: True active listening goes beyond just hearing; it involves understanding client challenges and responding with relevance.
Client-Specific Solutions: Highlighting the importance of tailoring the approach—whether focused on cost, efficiency, or innovation—to meet what each client values most.
Consistency Fosters Loyalty: Consistently showing up prepared and reliable is essential for building client loyalty and achieving long-term success.
Words of Wisdom: Standout Quotes from This Episode
"The secret to value and bringing value is being intentional in what you are bringing them. Be purposeful and intentional." — Anneliese Rhodes
"You just have to figure out what matters the most to each of your customers." — Anneliese Rhodes
"Being available when your surgeons call you, whether or not you are doing something or you’re out of town or you’re on vacation, you have to be available to answer the call." — Anneliese Rhodes
"The ultimate knowledge to know that you’ve done your job: you’ve been dependable, you’ve brought value, you’ve solved the issues, and they’re going to call you again and again." — Anneliese Rhodes
"If you’re going to come in and take up their time, you need to make sure that what you are bringing to them is valuable enough for them to spend their time with you." — Cynthia Ficara
"Every part of your job is to move that sales process along, and it’s knowing where you are and stopping to pause." — Cynthia Ficara
"If you even just move the sales along, they’ll try it, but they have to understand." — Cynthia Ficara
"When you become available and they start to trust you, what does that lead to? Dependability." — Cynthia Ficara
Follow The Girls of Grit:
We'd Love to Hear Your Stories!
Your experiences are important to us. Share how you've navigated catalysts for growth and personal transformation. Connect with us on social media or leave a review on your preferred podcast platform. Your feedback and stories inspire us and guide future episodes!
A Team Dklutr production
Blog Transcript:
Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies
Anneliese Rhodes: All right, here we go. Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening to everyone out there. Happy Sunday. Well, at least it is for Cindy and me. Yes, happy weekend. Yeah, we are here on a Sunday, per usual. But this Sunday, we are without makeup. Long Sundays sometimes, right, Cindy? And I see you have a hat on.
Cynthia Ficara: I was cleaning the garage, and it was so dusty, I found an old hat. So, yes, if you’re watching, please don’t look too closely because you don’t want to. Let me fluff my hair—maybe if I fluff my hair a little, I’ll look a little better.
You know, we love it. We show up here every weekend to bring you value, so we don’t need to look good to bring value.
Anneliese Rhodes: No, we don’t. Which, ironically, kind of ties into what we’re talking about today.
Cynthia Ficara: That’s right.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yep. Today, we are talking about the second secret that Patricia Choquette shared with all of us about, I don’t know, about a month ago now. Patricia is a really, really successful salesperson—president’s club every year, top sales rep every year. She’s just phenomenal. Her episode has actually gone, I swear, viral. Everybody we know is listening to it and talking about it. So we thought we’d break down her three secrets to success. Last week, we broke down her first one, which was being the hardest-working person in the room. What does that look like? How do you define that? So if you haven’t heard that episode, please tune in and listen to it. Today is all about bringing value.
Cynthia Ficara: No matter what you look like.
Anneliese Rhodes: No matter what you look like. Exactly. Exactly. No, but it’s all about bringing value every day. Every time you call on your customers, you need to bring value. So we are going to discuss what bringing value looks like, give you some good definitions, some ideas, and also some great examples.
Understanding and Delivering Value in Medical Device Sales
Cynthia Ficara: Exactly. And, you know, when you think about bringing value, if you're in the medical device space and you're calling on surgeons, nurses, or administrators, one thing to remember is how valuable their time is. If you're going to come in and take up their time, you need to make sure that what you are bringing to them is valuable enough for them to spend their time with you. We talk about time as the most precious commodity that everyone has, right?
So, we wanted to talk about, as a sales rep, what it looks like to bring value and why that’s so important. And that's where we should really start today. I think, overall, our goal here in being high performers is to grow your business, to attract customers that align with you, and that are appropriately targeted for what you do. And then, when you get that value and they see that, it produces loyalty—and there’s nothing better than customer loyalty when you're growing your numbers. The confidence it brings, the momentum, and, honestly, the great outcome you can have for a patient are unbeatable.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah, that's a good point. I mean, in the medical device industry, almost everything is either life-saving or life-changing. The products that you sell are really important, and the last thing you ever want to be seen as is just another widget. No one wants to be just another widget, right? I mean, it basically means you're bringing no value. So, I think today is really important. The way you bring value and the way you understand your customer’s value is also really important, Cindy.
Being Intentional and Purposeful in Delivering Value
Anneliese Rhodes: And that’s really our secret, yes. The secret to value and bringing value is being intentional in what you are bringing them. Be purposeful and intentional. So, what do we mean by that, Cindy? What do we mean by that?
Cynthia Ficara: So, an intentional purpose is kind of a culmination of a lot of what we talked about in previous episodes. You know, we are in sales, and it’s amazing how everything builds back to sales 101. So like I just mentioned, you’re going to come in and take up one of your customers’ time, whoever your customer is. So I need to have an intentional purpose. So what does that look like on my end? I’m going to plan, pre-plan that is, before I go in.
I need to know what I’m going to talk about, and what I need to ask them. But remember, one of the things that’s most important anytime you go into a conversation is understanding where your customer is. You know, are they already using the product? Are they brand new? Do they know you? And so, your conversations look completely different based on where your customer is at that moment.
So, maybe you’ve been so busy, you’ve had a couple of calls, and you’re just gonna, don’t run into the parking lot, be like, “Oh my gosh, I gotta go pick up my dog, I gotta run here, the kid’s got something later on, I’m gonna run in the park, oh, the phone’s ringing, I’m talking to my friend, she wants to blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” Now I gotta go in. And guess what? I forgot to go back, maybe look in my notes and say, “Oh, that’s right. He or she wanted me to find something else to get to the next step.” Pause for a minute. Take that time. Know exactly where you are in the process and be intentional about what value you’re going to bring that day.
Every part of your job is to move that sales process along. And it’s knowing where you are, and it’s really stopping and pausing. And as women who multitask, sometimes that’s hard. And I think that’s the biggest, biggest, biggest key. So an intentional purpose is knowing what exactly you’re there to do for your customer.
Anneliese Rhodes: That’s a great point. That’s exactly what we’re talking about today. And it sounds almost like you need to also know what your customers are—each of your customers is different, right? So what one thing matters to one customer may not matter to another one.
So part of this intentional, um, bringing value and being purposeful in your—you know, your road to figuring out how you’re going to bring value to them is understanding what’s important to them. For some physicians or customers or whoever it is, price is the biggest thing that’s important to them. In other situations, it may be how efficient the product works. You know, are you going to save OR time versus the competitor or who they’re using currently?
Maybe you’re first to market, right? And now you are bringing the value of a new solution to them, and your product is first to market. So all of these things are bringing value. You just have to figure out what matters the most to each of your customers. And to do that, you have to do some research.
You need to figure that out. You know, that goes along with a lot of the other podcasts that we talk about. Our elevator pitch and our cold calling, that’s all uncovering those customers' needs so that when it’s time for you to bring that value, you know specifically what you’re going to hit on, what those key things are that you’re going to talk about, you’re going to highlight, and then you’re going to continue to bring that back over and over and over again. Every time you call on that same customer.
Knowing Customer Needs and Adding Intentional Value
Cynthia Ficara: And remember, in this role, we have a privilege. We actually get to represent the products that we sell, and that’s only as good as we sell them. So, okay, I'm going to go a little off-topic here. I have this, I guess, preconceived impression of Motrin or Advil versus generic ibuprofen. Maybe it’s all in my head, but when I go to the grocery store or pharmacy, I’m going to buy the real Motrin or real Advil because, in my mind, I don’t believe the generic does the same.
Anneliese Rhodes: You’re paying double for that, by the way.
Cynthia Ficara: Exactly, paying double. But see, I want to pay for what I believe is the value. So let’s say there’s a salesperson behind the generic ibuprofen, and they come in and bring me value—maybe a piece of information I’m missing. It’s still ibuprofen versus ibuprofen, but what makes it different?
Anneliese Rhodes: I like that. That’s a great point. If the person selling the generic version said, “Cindy, it has the same efficacy and results as Advil or Motrin, and here are the stats on that,” would you consider buying it over the name brand?
Cynthia Ficara: If someone gave me a good enough reason, I’d definitely try it again. If somebody has been using your competitor’s product for years and believes it just works, right, and you come in with a generic, even just moving the sale along could get them to try it. They just need to understand what they'll gain.
If you were trying to sell me on generic, what do I need to see that will convince me? What results do I need to make me buy generic ibuprofen over Motrin or Advil? It’s the same thing with your customers.
Anneliese Rhodes: My brain is going 90 miles an hour right now. So, yeah, you’re totally going to be getting generic ibuprofen from me as a stocking stuffer! But seriously, I’m thinking about our business, right? When I’m calling on a competitive doc, and I know they’re using a competitor’s product, and I finally get them to try mine, it’s like, “Oh, yay!” You want to hit a home run with them.
But part of that process that I don’t want our listeners to forget is what you uncovered to get that doc to the place of saying, “Yes, Lisa, I’ll try your product next week; I’ve got a great case for you.” You’ll remind them of that value during the case, showing them why your product is so good for that issue. Whether it’s in peripheral, neuro, or ortho, it’s all about how well your solution works in their world.
Cynthia Ficara: They’d have to ask me, “What do you need to see for this to work?” Like you just mentioned, okay, I know nothing about neuro, either, so I’d need to ask the doctor if using too many coils is an issue. You mentioned that; now I can frame my value around this: “This new widget coil gadget thing? Guess what? You get to use a third less.” So now I’ve identified his problem, and my intentional purpose is to solve this one problem. That’s enough to get them to try it.
When they try it, you, as a sales rep, are there to bring value. You know your intentional purpose for what you’re doing for this customer. And that is the value. You’re not just walking in like, “Yeah, here’s my product.”
Anneliese Rhodes: Absolutely.
Cynthia Ficara: Yeah. I’m not here to just take up space and take up their most precious commodity—time.
Building Value Beyond the Product
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah. So I think we're talking a lot about the products and asking, you know, does it make the surgery go by quicker? Sometimes, it's about the money, right? If you're calling on purchasing, is it the cheaper option? Is it just as effective as what they’re currently using but saves them X amount or offers better reimbursement?
Sometimes products can get better reimbursement depending on the procedure. Maybe the data on your product is better—like you were talking about with Advil and Motrin versus the generic. Maybe the data is what sets it apart. And the doc you’re calling on may be a super direct, data-driven person, so that’s where you bring value.
These are all product-based identifiers, for lack of a better term, on how you're bringing value through your product. But at the same time, now we’re going a bit deeper and looking at the value you’re bringing as a rep. You’ve identified what matters; now you're going to highlight it. And as a rep, you're going to continually sell on that.
Cynthia Ficara: Absolutely. And think about this: we mentioned customer loyalty at the very beginning. How do you build customer loyalty? Well, it starts with trust.
I don’t trust generic ibuprofen yet, okay? So if anyone out there is selling generic ibuprofen, reach out to me and try to sell it to me—because I don’t yet. But I need to build that trust. And that’s what's so important.
So, number one, you're coming in valuable as a sales rep, and you start building that trust. How do you do that? The first step is in the knowledge that you bring.
We talked about this in our previous episode: becoming that go-to expert. You’ve got to know the relevancy of your product, know everything about it. You mentioned data—know everything about it, understand the data around it, and know your competitor’s data.
You become more valuable with more knowledge. Knowledge is power, and it builds on the value that your customers will see.
Availability as a Core Value
Anneliese Rhodes: That’s so important. You’re exactly right. Along with knowledge, availability is key. In our world, part of being valuable is being available. We’re on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You’ve got to be available when your surgeons call you—whether you’re busy, out of town, or even on vacation. You have to be there to answer the call.
Bringing value means bringing your service when they need it. In our field, they rely on us to bring not only the products but also the knowledge specific to each case and each patient. That’s part of your brand, and that’s bringing real value.
They’re not going to call you if they don’t feel comfortable. And like you just mentioned with the generic rep—you're not comfortable with that person yet because you don’t know them. They’re going to bring you value by providing the data and the knowledge you’re looking for. They show up consistently.
Every single day, you have to be there, showing up as the hardest-working person in that room. This episode is about value, it’s all about always bringing value and making sure you’re not just standing by as another bystander.
Building Dependability and Becoming Indispensable
Cynthia Ficara: And like you just said, when you become available and they start to trust you, what does that lead to? Dependability. Right? So you're dependable. Lisa, perfect example. Yesterday was Saturday, and you were at your mother-in-law's house for—was it her birthday? No, it was just dinner, a family thing. So anyway, you get a call from a doctor, and it's a Saturday, and you have to leave. You go to help care for this patient. The value you bring on a weekend day, dropping what you’re doing to be there—that’s a real commitment.
When you walk into that room, everything else goes out the door. You concentrate fully on what you're doing, helping them achieve the best outcome. Now, you’ve built that trust, and they depend on you. It’s a domino effect: they become loyal, and they see you as valuable. You’re no longer just a salesperson; you’re an integral part of their success. Now, you’re there to support their growth and outcomes, and they see you as an extension of their team. When you get to that level, it's amazing.
Anneliese Rhodes: Oh my gosh, yes. If you ever get to the level of being a partner, that’s incredible. You may even become indispensable, which is what we want. We don’t want them saying, "Oh, Lisa wasn't available, I’ll call Cindy." If you're my competitor, I don’t want that. I want him to call me every single time. I want it to be, "I only want to call Lisa. She’s the best person I have." And if she can’t be there, I know she’s trained her replacement or clinical support to be just as good as her.
That’s the goal: to be the superhero—the one solving their problems, bringing the best value, identifying their issues, and resolving them. That’s what true value is.
Cynthia Ficara: Absolutely. It starts with the secret we talked about intentional purpose. You need intentional purpose to know your product, and to understand the unique value you bring. Do you have a groundbreaking innovation? A product with superior efficacy? That’s what you communicate. This is the value you bring, and sometimes it takes multiple touches.
You have to know where your customer stands and represent yourself professionally. You wouldn’t walk in like we look today in our garage; you show up as the face of what you stand for, ready to bring them real value and support.
Anneliese Rhodes: Exactly. And when you’re part of their trusted network, they want to be more involved with you and your company. In the medical device industry, many of us have speakers—physicians who advocate for our products and the value they bring. There’s no better reward than to have one of your doctors speak publicly about your product and service.
I mean, Cindy, I know you’ve had that happen many times. It's an amazing feeling to attend a meeting where your doctor stands on stage, sharing the difference your product made for them and their patients. It’s the ultimate ROI, the confirmation that you did your job well. You were dependable, you brought value, and you solved their problems. And because of that, they call on you again and again. It’s the best feeling in the world.
Cynthia Ficara: I cannot agree with you more. So in a nutshell, if you've listened to this, you know that I don't like generic ibuprofen, and somebody might just change my mind.
Anneliese Rhodes: And on Sundays, we clean our garages—sparkling floors, clean, absolutely.
Cynthia Ficara: If you’re about to close out this podcast and you're thinking, "Okay, how do I bring value? What do I need to do?" Start simple: show up on time, pay attention, and have an intentional purpose. Bring the secret of intentionality with you, and everything will fall into place. We believe that bringing value will truly move you through the sales process and lead to ultimate success.
